"Microsoft today announced the global availability of its popular Windows operating system, Windows 8. Beginning Friday, Oct. 26, consumers and businesses worldwide will be able to experience all that Windows 8 has to offer, including a beautiful new user interface and a wide range of applications with the grand opening of the Windows Store." I'm still not clear on what '12:01 AM local time' means, but if it means it goes on sale in every country on 12:01 AM, I'll be buying in a bit over an hour!

Not quite true, Metro is microsofts advance into the territory of touch applications so not really trying to fix what wasn't broken. what ISN'T good about metro is that it isn't at this point in time really well suited to large or multi-monitor desktop configurations. If you use it on a tablet, for which metro was intended, it's fine.

I dispute the " If you use it on a tablet, for which metro was intended, it's fine." Admittedly, what I assumed after being taken aback by what a kludge it was on the desktop but after tinkering with 'Metro' I quickly found it half-baked and not ready. The few apps are really piss-poor and although I expect it to improve it really shouldn't be brought to market yet.

Luckily, it easy enough to install a classic start menu and just about ignore 'Metro' on the desktop. Still, it's really only a worthwhile service pack to 7 or if this is what a new OS is then for all the time and monies expended you wonder why they bothered. Not exactly a must have update...wouldn't even consider if it wasn't on 'offer'...suppose a cheap way to upgrade from XP but otherwise a damp squib.

Not quite true, Metro is microsofts advance into the territory of touch applications so not really trying to fix what wasn't broken. what ISN'T good about metro is that it isn't at this point in time really well suited to large or multi-monitor desktop configurations. If you use it on a tablet, for which metro was intended, it's fine.

I have used Metro on a phone and it was horrid. I'd actually prefer Windows Mobile over anything with Metro on. However given a choice, I'd pick Android, iOS or even Palm/HP webOS over Win8.

Kudos to Redmond for investing in a unique user environment; it's just a pity it sucks.

So, tell me. What does Modern UI fix on the desktop that needed fixing badly? What is the wow factor of merging (and oversizing of) icons with desktop widgets and displaying these full-screen in a grid? What is so much better about a view-switching, full-screen cluttered program launcher over a non-view-switching but slightly cluttered start menu?

Then we have the sudden fascination with hot corners. Unholy, undiscoverable pixels, that elevate the least exiting screen areas to god like status. Now we will be jamming our pointer into corners for all eternity. Don't give me the Superkey comeback. Typing to control your computer is CLI and CLI is bad; millions of Windows users said so.

Aesthetically we can't claim objectivity, but I don't like the simplistic flatness and the garish color schemes of Modern UI one bit. Minimalism done right can be eye pleasing. Personally, I lean more towards Baroque than Bauhaus, but I can appreciate a good, minimal, clean design, even if I'd never pursue it myself. Modern UI looks like it was whipped up by a three year old in MS Paint.